It’s been four years now since the launch ofPokemon GO, Niantic’s genre-defining Pokemon spin-off. To keep the game fresh over that period, the San Francisco-based company has made sure to keep up a steady stream of updates and events. The latest of these is arriving inPokemon GOtoday, to coincide with the annual Game Awards.
ThePokemon GOGame Awards eventwill begin along with the show itself, at 7 pm ET. However, while the Game Awards will only run for a few hours, thePokemon GOevent will run for a full 24-hours. During this period players will have access to a variety of special bonuses to celebrate the occasion.
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The Basic Bonuses
While they may not be as dramatic as inpreviousPokemon GOevents, the Games Awards special bonuses run the range from very minor to never-before-seen. Firstly, players will earn increased Stardust from catching Pokemon. Stardust is one of the most important currencies inPokemon GO, and is used for leveling-up, trading, unlocking attacks, and purifying Shadow Pokemon.
In order to find plenty of Pokemon to catch during the event, Incense will also become more effective. Incense allowsPokemon GOplayersto attract Pokemon to a specific location, rather than having to go searching for them. It’s likely this has been chosen as a bonus so that players can stay put and watch the Game Awards during the event, rather than heading off to chase Pokemon.
Facing Team Rocket
In addition to the buffs to Stardust and Incense, there will also be an increase in the number of Team GO Rocket Grunts. These NPC trainers appear at Pokestops and around the world in hot-air balloons, and during the event will spawn much more frequently. Players who take on and defeat a Team GO Rocket Grunt earn both Stardust and a Mysterious Component to lead them to aTeam GO Rocket Leader. In addition, players also get a chance to catch one of the Grunt’s Shadow Pokemon, all of which know the Frustration move.
While Shadow Pokemon can be Purified, which replaces Frustration with Return, up until now it hasn’t been possible to replace these two moves with something more suited to the Pokemon. During theGame Awards event inPokemon GO, players who use a Charged TM will be able to replace either Frustration or Return with a new move. This will be of special interest to competitive players, as Shadow Pokemon get an attack boost that makes them more powerful than others of their CP Rank. Normal Charged TMs will give a random charged attack in place of Frustration/Return, while Elite Charged TMs will give a specific one.
Pokemon GOis available on Android and iOS devices.
